In November 2001 the city ordered heat and water service restored to the building. During the same month the Buildings and Inspections Department ordered a tenant to vacate the building and ordered Lemuel Johnson, the owner, to make repairs.

In September 2002 the Buildings and Inspections Department ordered the building to be kept vacant until the owner obtained a vacant building maintenance license. Johnson is scheduled for a pre-prosecution hearing March 27 for failing to obtain the license. This is an informal meeting between the owner and a city inspector.

At the hearing, Johnson could receive an extension to either obtain the license or make necessary repairs to the building. The case could also go to the housing docket of Hamilton County Municipal Court on a charge of failure to comply with a lawful building order. The maximum penalty is 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Attempts to reach Johnson for comment were unsuccessful.

BLIGHT OF THE WEEK is an effort to highlight the problem of abandoned buildings -- and who's responsible for them.